Federal Building Elects To Convert Chillers, Comes Out A Winner
This 27-story structure was constructed in 1963 and is occupied by a wide range of federal government agencies. Standard occupancy hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with occasional off-hour usage on evenings and weekends. The building has two subbasement levels that include a parking garage and a mechanical area.
The original 30-year-old chiller plant consisted of two 990-ton centrifugal chillers equipped with open drives and reduction gears. By modern standards, the chillers were of comparatively low efficiency, about .90kW/ton, and had a history of CFC-12 leakage. The two original, constant-speed chilled water pumps provided 2,866 gpm with 125 feet of head using 125 hp. The two condenser water pumps had capacities of 2,847 gpm with 80 feet of head using 75 hp. One 1,980-ton roof-mounted cooling tower served the existing chiller plant.